Through Sam's Eyes: Snow Business
by CarsWorldFan
Summary: Continuing on with my 'Through Sam's Eyes' series. It is Christmas 1988, and Fireman Sam is preparing for a busy festive season, ensuring everyone in Pontypandy has a fun, but safe holiday. However, things don't start out well when Trevor's bus collides with a snow drift, and then he has to rescue his niece and nephew from a frozen lake.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 1 

It was one of those mornings when all I wanted to do was sleep in. It had snowed overnight, at last, and my bed was the prefect temperature, so the last thing I wanted to do was get up to go to work – especially considering it was Christmas Eve. But, knowing that I had no other choice, I reluctantly got up, showered, dressed into my uniform, and went downstairs to prepare a nice, hot breakfast for myself.

On the doormat, I saw some envelopes, so I picked them up on my way to the kitchen. _Postman's come early today. I'm amazed at how he manages to get his rounds done while the rest of us are still asleep, especially at this time of the year. Let's see now…Looks like they're all Christmas Cards. That's good. Last year, I got a bill on Christmas Eve. Hmm… That one's postmarked London, so it must be from Auntie Donna and Uncle Mark. It's been a while since I last heard from them._

While I was eating my breakfast, I opened the cards and listened to the radio, so I could hear the morning news and weather.

" _It's going to be a white Christmas, as predicted. Four inches of snow fell overnight in parts of Wales, with drifting in places. And with these colder fronts moving in from Scandinavia and Russia, there's more on the way._ "

I turned off the radio, having heard all I needed to hear. "Hmm… Well, I hope the snowploughs have done their job. I wonder if Sarah and James are up yet? They're going to have some fun today!"

I was now nineteen-and-a-half-years-old, and I'd been back living in my hometown of Pontypandy for about eighteen months, after spending a year living in Cardiff to attend the Fire Academy there. My parents had died shortly after my graduation, so I doted on my six-year-old twin niece and nephew, Sarah and James. I also passionately loved my job as lead Fireman at the Pontypandy Fire Station.

After I'd finished my breakfast and washed up, I left my house and headed off to work on foot. I'd just walked down the hill near Dilys' shop, when I came across some black ice in the middle of the road.

"Oh!" _Perfect! Time for a bit of fun!_ I took a look around. "Aye, well there's no-one looking…" I stepped onto the ice, and I skated down it, laughing with glee. "Oh!" I exclaimed again as I reached the end of the ice. Stepping off it, I saw Dilys outside her shop, clearing the path. _I hope she didn't see me. That would be rather embarrassing._ I cleared my throat to get her attention. "Morning, Dilys!"

"Well! I don't know what's good about it!" Dilys retorted crossly as she kept shovelling. "No, indeed! Norman's off sledging, instead of helping… There's snow all over my shop front…" She stopped shovelling and stuck the spade into the snow. "And just look!" She pointed to the awning. "My life's in danger, from icicles the size of spears!"

 _Oh! They're not that big, Dilys! At worst, they'd give you a nasty headache._ "I'll deal with those, Dilys!" I said with a chuckle. _It'll put her mind at ease at the very least._ "Ladder round the back, is it?"

I turned to go and get it, when I heard the door to Bella's café open and close.

"Oh, Sam!" Bella called out. She tip-toed across the road towards us, carrying a brown paper bag. "Don't-a forget your-a sand-a-wichs!"

"Oh! Thanks, Bella."

Bella sighed heavily when she reached me safely. "I make-a them with-a pepperoni. It keep-a you warm, the pepperoni."

 _Lucky I love pepperoni!_ I took the paper bag from her.

"That's right," Dilys agreed, and she pointed at me like a mother telling off her adult child. "Inner warmth and thermals. That's what I always say."

 _Yes, mother!_ I turned away so Dilys wouldn't see me smirking. _Does she honestly think that I don't know how to look after myself?_ "Aye, well, quite right, Dilys," I muttered.

"Er, Sam?" Bella began. "Why is there no Christmas tree in the park yet?"

"Bit late, isn't it?" Dilys added. "It's Christmas Eve. Should've been up already! Council couldn't afford one, I expect?"

"Aye…" I agreed. "Well, it's a shame that…" _It is the Council's responsibility, so if they couldn't afford one…_ "I wonder if…" _they'd let us cut one down in the forest?_ "Aye, well, we'll have to see about that later. Right! Now for those icicles."

"Oh! Thank you, Sam!" Dilys called as I headed around the back to find a ladder. "Oh, and mind you don't slip now… Oh!"

Hearing Dilys scream, I turned around just in time to see her slip over.

"Whoopsie-daisy!" Dilys muttered, clearly embarrassed.

Shaking my head in amusement, I hurried around the back. I found the ladder, half buried in the snow. After I'd brushed it off, I took the ladder back around the front, and I propped it up against the awning. Dilys and Bella watched on as I climbed the ladder.

"Right then, ladies. Stand well back, please."

One by one, I pulled the icicles off, and I let them fall safely to the ground. When I'd finished, I carefully moved the icicles to a safe area behind Dilys' shop, and I returned the ladder.

"Oh, thank you so much, Sam!" Dilys said once I'd finished.

"No problem, Dilys. I'd better get to work now, or I'll be late. Have a nice day, ladies."

"You too, Sam," Bella replied sweetly.

…

When I arrived at the fire station, Station Officer Steele saw me coming, and he kindly opened the front door for me.

"Morning, sir," I greeted him cheerfully as I stepped inside where it was nice and warm.

"Ah, greetings." Station Officer Steele promptly closed the door behind me.

Elvis was in the kitchen, preparing the Christmas turkey.

"Hello, Elvis. Preparing a wonderful Yuletide feast for us, as usual, I see," I said as I removed my helmet. Station Officer Steele blew into his hands to warm them up.

"Er, yes," Elvis replied. He kicked the oven door open with his foot. "Turkey, with all the trimmings, Sam." He tried to push the tray into the oven. "The, er… The only tr-trouble is it won't, er…it-it won't..." He pushed the tray in harder, but it ended up at a forty-five-degree angle. He jiggled it a bit more, and it straightened itself out. "Oh, there we are!"

I placed my helmet on the shelf. "Well, I hope you've trimmed it inside. Nothing like a bit of chestnut stuffing."

Elvis was now trying to close the oven door. "Um, chestnut…erm…er…oh, crumbs! I-I forgot that." Elvis reached inside the oven, and he tried to pull the turkey and its tray back out again. "Um…oh!"

"Last year, it tasted more like a rubber duck, than a turkey," Station Officer Steele remarked. "Rubber duck! Haha! Hahahaha!"

 _Please, don't remind me of that, sir! My first Christmas back at home, and Elvis ruined the turkey. Oh, well. At least he didn't cremate it, I suppose. Now for the Christmas tree…_ "Uh, c-could I use your telephone for a minute, sir?"

"Ah, yes, yes. Carry on, Fireman Sam."

"Oh!" Elvis groaned as he continued struggling to get the turkey out of the oven. "Come here, you!"

And the turkey did. It finally came out of the oven so quickly, that Elvis tumbled head over heels backwards into the kitchen table. Hearing the clutter, Station Officer Steele and I turned back around to see what had happened.

"Oh!" Elvis exclaimed in surprise. He clutched a drumstick in one hand, and the rest of the turkey in the other.

"Turkey's protesting is it, Criddlington?" Station Officer Steel quipped.

"Yes!" Elvis replied sadly. "And it's not fighting fair, sir!"

 _I would too if I knew I was about to be roasted by Elvis!_ I hurried into Station Officer Steele's office, so that poor Elvis wouldn't be offended if he heard me laughing. Besides, I had a very important phone call to make to the local council.

To my great surprise, I managed to get straight through to Mr Roberts, the mayor, who was widely known for being a Scrooge, especially when it came to festivities.

"Mr Roberts? It's Fireman Jones from the Pontypandy Fire Brigade. I've had a few queries as to why the town hasn't received its Christmas tree yet, so I thought I'd phone you to see if we can have one, please."

"I'm afraid we haven't been able to budget for Christmas trees in every town this year," Mr Roberts replied, somewhat gruffly. "We only budgeted to have trees sent to all the major towns in the council. But, you're more than welcome to cut down a tree that's on Council property for you to use, as long as you don't cause any other damage. Oh, and Merry Christmas to you and your colleagues. You all do a splendid job keeping everyone safe."

"Well, yes. Thank you, Mr Roberts, and the compliments of the season to you too."

He hung up without saying goodbye, but I didn't care.

"Well, well!" I hung up the phone. "Shiver me tweekers!" I stepped out of Station Officer Steele's officer, so I could announce the good news to Station Officer Steele. "That old Scrooge, Roberts, has seen the light at last! We can have a Christmas tree! Mind you, we've gotta go and chop it down ourselves."

"Nothing like Christmas spirit, Sam," Station Officer Steele remarked happily. "Gets to everyone, in the end."

At that moment, the alarm went off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.**

Chapter 2

Hearing the alarm, I promptly grabbed my helmet off the shelf behind me.

"Now, who needs the fire service?" Station Officer Steele wondered as he hurried inside his office to collect the fax. "Ah! Special service call. Bus stuck in snowdrift, on the Newtown Road."

 _Well, at least it's nothing serious to ruin our Christmas,_ I thought as I climbed inside Jupiter. As soon as Elvis and Station Officer Steele were on board as well, I looked at my boss.

"All present and correct, sir."

"Right. Let's go."

I activated Jupiter's siren before I drove away down the driveway. _I'm going to have to be very careful about black ice. I hate driving in winter. Oh well. At least it keeps me alert!_

Remembering the patch of black ice that I'd skated down earlier, I took great care on that particular stretch of road. Luckily, it was uphill, and Jupiter had near-new tyres with winter tread on them, so I didn't have any issues there. I was also pleased to see that the Newtown Road had been ploughed, so I was able to go a bit faster than I might have gone in those conditions.

Up ahead, I saw Trevor's familiar bus wedged in a huge snowdrift, so I slowed down and stopped Jupiter at the corner in the road.

"Get to work, men!" Station Officer Steele ordered as we got out. "General purpose line, Fireman Criddlington."

While Elvis went to fetch the rope, I went over to Trevor, to see if he was okay. He had a woollen blanket around his shoulder, and he was sipping a steaming hot cup of soup from a thermos flask.

"Oh, well I see you're well equipped anyway, Trev!" I remarked.

Trevor put the flask and blanket away in the back of his bus. "I always bring some hot soup in case."

I chuckled. "Get stuck in snowdrifts often, do you?"

"Very funny, Sam! No, I just like to be prepared for any eventuality. Now, stop being so cheeky, and start doing your job."

"I am!"

"Move along there, Criddlington!" I heard Station Officer Steele say to my colleague. Turning, I saw that Elvis was just tip-toeing across the icy road towards us. "Get your skates on!"

"Right, sir!" And Elvis started running. Well, skating would be the better word to use. "Oohh! Ooooohhhhh!" Elvis yelped as he skated down the road on his heels. Trevor and I quickly got out of his way, leaving him to collide, nose first, into the back of Trevor's bus. He fell backwards, landing on his posterior. Sheepishly, he looked up at all of us. "Um, w-was that quick enough for you, sir?" He rubbed his nose. "Oh!"

"I think that was fast enough for the army, Elvis!" I joked. I offered him a hand up, which he accepted. Then, I left Elvis to secure the rope to Trevor's bus, and I returned to Jupiter. Trevor climbed back inside his bus.

As soon as Elvis has secured the rope to both vehicles, Elvis asked Trevor if he was ready. Then, Elvis looked at me, and he gave me a thumbs-up.

"Right, Sam!"

I returned the thumbs up. "Okay!" I started up Jupiter's engine.

"Commence towing!" Station Officer Steele instructed.

I began to slowly reverse Jupiter. The rope tightened and took up the strain. However, at that moment, Jupiter's rear wheels started skidding in some fresh, powdery snow, and I lost the traction I needed to get Trevor's bus free. And so, I drove Jupiter forwards a bit.

 _This time, I'll give it a good run up._

"Ah, ha-have another go, Fireman Sam!" Station Officer Steele called out, just as I put Jupiter into reverse again. "Right. Softly on the throttle."

 _Softly? More like, give it a decent jerk!_ I did, and this time, Trevor's bus started to move out of the snowdrift. Jupiter's rear wheels skidded again when they reached the patch of powdery snow, but this time she managed to get past it and find more traction.

"Er, softly!" Station Officer Steele ordered. "That's it! Ba-back a bit… Back! A little bit, er… OUT OF THE WAY, CRIDDLINGTON!"

I chuckled when I saw Elvis quickly stagger backwards, out of the way of Trevor's moving bus.

"A little bit more," Station Officer Steele continued. "Er, straighten up. Slowly…slowly…" He held up a hand. "Stop!"

I promptly applied Jupiter's brakes.

"Another job, well done!" Station Officer Steele praised.

I turned off Jupiter's engine, and I patted the steering wheel. "Well done, old girl!"

Elvis began untying the rope from both vehicles. I leaned out of the cab.

"Will you be all right now, Trevor?"

"Yes! Thank you, Sam!"

Elvis and Station Officer Steele joined me inside the cab.

"While we're out here, sir, why don't we go and fetch the Christmas tree?"

"An excellent idea, Fireman Sam! Let's go."

I drove Jupiter back down the road, until we reach a small patch of forest, which I knew was council owned. We got out, and I went to fetch the axe from one of Jupiter's lockers.

"Now then, sir," I said as we went over to the trees. "I've seen the very tree. And this axe should make light work of it." _I sure hope so anyway!_ I went over to a large pine tree that was fairly close to the road.

"Ah, good man, Fireman Sam," Station Officer Steele agreed. "You chop it down, and I'll shout 'timber'."

"An-and I'll-I'll go and find some holly…" Elvis added, and he walked off into the forest.

I took a big swing at the trunk of the tree with my axe. The first chop didn't do much, so I took another swing at it. _Thank goodness granddad taught me how to chop down trees correctly!_ I thought as this time I made a significant cut into the wood. I made a few more chops until I was happy with the wedge shape I'd created. Then, I moved around to the other side of the tree. Granddad had taught me that you always start chopping on the side which you want the tree to fall.

"Aye, now let's see…" I muttered to myself. _It always worked for granddad…_

I began creating another wedge opposite to the one I'd already created. The woodchips flew faster this time. Then, with a final chop, I both saw and heard the tree starting to fall. _Well, granddad was right! It's going exactly where I wanted it to fall._

Putting the axe down at my side, I watched as the tree fell over into the snow. Station Officer Steele also watched on, seemingly very satisfied with my effort. But he didn't say anything.

 _Hehe! I think he's forgotten!_

As soon as the tree was safely down, I pointed at my boss. "You can say it now, sir."

Station Officer Steele was momentarily confused. "What? Say what? Oh, yes, yes! Um… TIMBER!"

I burst out laughing. Then I indicated to the tree. "Care to give me a hand, sir?"

"Uh, um… W-while I'd love to, I do need to be careful about my back, you see."

"Of course, sir." _Old age is obviously beginning to show…_

Bending down, I tried to pick up the tree by myself, but it was too heavy for me to manage alone. Just then, Elvis returned.

"Come on, Elvis!" I called. "I need some help now!"

Elvis handed his stick of holly to Station Officer Steele. "Uh, t-take care of this, can you, sir?"

Station Officer Steele didn't look terribly impressed. "A twig?"

"For the pudding," Elvis whispered.

 _Why did he bother whispering? It's no secret, and we're the only ones out here._

" _Jupiter nine-nine-nine, from WP. Over._ "

Hearing our call-sign coming through Jupiter's on-board speakerphone, I hurried over to the cab to answer. I was the closest, so it made sense for me to take the emergency call. Reaching into the cab, I picked up the receiver, and I put it to my ear.

"WP? Go ahead. Jupiter nine-nine-nine. Over."

" _Proceed to children trapped on ice, in middle of Pandy Pond. Over._ "

"Wilco," I replied. "Jupiter nine-nine-nine. Over." I put the receiver back down, and I pulled down the open locker shutter before I climbed into the driver's seat.

" _WP. Out._ "

"Right men, let's go," Station Officer Steele said as I started up Jupiter's engine. "We'll collect the tree later."

I turned on Jupiter's siren as I started to drive away down the road.


End file.
